Wire tightener



Feb. 26, 1963 F. L. MOADAMS 3,07

WIRE TIGHTENER Filed Feb. 28, 1961 INVENTOR.

' Fxzeoemcz LMQ RDAMs United drains Fatent @ltce 3,e7s,534 WRE TIGHTENER Frederick L. McAdams, Box 286, Superior, Mont. Filed Feb. 28, 1961, Ser. No. 92,401 2 Claims. (Cl. 24-711) This invention relates to a novel and improved tightener for wires, such as fence wires, especially barbed fence wires.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a simpler, more efiicient, and more easily installed tightener of the kind indicated, which requires no special tools or skill for its installation, which will remain in place on a wire even when the wire has become slack, and which can be easily removed from a slack Wire for salvaging such slack wire.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a wire tightener of the character indicated above, which embodies a novel arrangement of wire engaging hooks, at its ends, which are oppositely and laterally directed, so that the strain or load imposed upon the part of the tightener extending between the hooks, by application of a pliers or a common wire fence repair tool thereto, is equalized, as the wire between the hooks is pulled and deflected to engage the same in the saddle of the tightener, whereby overall application of the tightener to a fence wire is facilitated and speeded up.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a wire tightener or" the character indicated above, which is of triangular shape, with the oppositely directed hooks at related ends of its base side, and its saddle located at its apex.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a wire tightener of the character indicated above, which can advantageously be made of two pieces of stiff wire.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific form of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a wire tightener of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the tightener of FIGURE 1, showing the same applied to and tightening a fence wire;

FIGURE 3 is an edge elevation of FIGURE 2, the fence wire being absent;

FIGURE 4- is a vertical transverse section taken on the line d4 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a view, like FIGURE 1, of a modified form of tightener; and,

FlGURE 6 is a side elevation of the tightener of FIG- URE 5, showing the same applied to and tightening a fence wire.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like and related numerals design-ate like and related parts, and first to FIGURES 1 to 4, the wire tightener therein shows and generally designated 1%, comprises an open isosceles triangular form having a normally horizontal base component B, and similar upwardly convergent side components S, which meet in an apex component A.

At its ends, the base component B terminates in similar laterally outwardly directed, return bent hooks 1d and 20 which extend from opposite sides of the base component B, and which are disposed at similar slight laterally outward and downward angles to the related sides or" the base component.

The apex A is formed with a saddle 22 which is composed of two upwardly divergent upstanding fingers 24.

The modified form of tightener, shown in FIGURES 5 Patented Feb. 26, 1963 and 6, and generally designated 10 has generally similar and similarly disposed components, which consist of a base component B, side components 8*, an apex component A", hooks 18 and 20 and a saddle 22 composed of upstanding fingers 2d.

The tightener 16 of FIGURES =1 to 4 is formed of two pairs of stiif wire severally designated I and II, the piece I being substantially longer than the piece II. The piece I is bent at two places between its ends so as to provide a substantially straight base portion 26, at whose ends are relatively large diameter curvilinear corners 28, which merge into straight upwardly converging side portions 30. The side portions 3% are twisted upon each other, adjacent their upper ends, so as to produce curvilinear upstanding and upwardly divergent fingers 24, defining a fence wire receiving saddle 22.

The shorter piece II is only slightly longer than the combined lengths of the base portion 26 and the corners 23, and has a straight intermediate portion 32, which substantially corresponds to the length of the base portion 26. Outwardly of the intermediate portion 32 the ends of the base portion 26 are oppositely bent, relative to the intermediate portion 32 and are engaged through the corners 2S and partly twisted around portions of the corners, adjacent to the ends of the base portion 26, so as to clamp the base portion 26 and the intermediate portion 32 in side by side engagement with each other, with the intermediate portion 32 underlying the base portion 26. The ends of the intermediate portion 32 are continued outwardly past the corners 28, at opposite sides of the corners, and bent to define the oppositely directed hooks i8 and 2d.

The tightener Id of FIGURES 5 and 6 is formed of two pieces III and IV of stiff wire which are substantially equal in length. The pieces Ill and IV are substantially similar V-shapes, the base portion 26* of the piece IV corresponding to the base portion 26 of the tightener 10, and the intermediate portion 32 of the piece Ill corresponding to the intermediate portion 32 of the tightener lb. The sides 30 correspond to the sides 3% of the tightencr It}, and their upper ends are twisted around each other and extendin upwardly and are curved away from each other, so as to define fingers 24 of a saddle 22 The hooks 18 and Zit are similar in form and arrangement relative to the corners 23*, the base portion 26 and the intermediate portion 32 to their dispositions in the tightener it).

Wires W to be tightened are disposed within the hooks at the ends of the tighteners and the portions 36 of the wires which then extend along the base components of the tightener between the hooks, are stretched and the tightness manipulated, by suitable means, such as a pair of pliers or an ordinary wire fence repair tool (no shown) so as to place the centers of the wire portions 36 in the saddles of the tighteners, and at opposite sides of the sides 3%, 3t) and 30 39*, whereby installation of the tighteners is completed.

Although there have been shown and described herein preferred forms of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily confined thereto, and that any change or changes in the structure of and in the relative arrangements of components thereof are contemplated as being within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

l. A wire tightener comprising an open triangular form having a cross member and upwardly converging legs on the ends of the cross member, means connecting the legs, adjacent their upper ends, fingers on the upper ends of the legs spaced from each other crosswise of the form, and wire embracing hooks on and extending longitudinally outwardly from the ends of the cross member and extending from opposite sides of the form, a straight member lying against and extending along said cross member, said hooks being on the ends of said straight member, and means securing said straight member to said cross member.

2. A wire tightener comprising an open triangular form having a cross member'and upwardly converging legs on the ends of the cross member, means connecting the legs, adjacent their upper ends, fingers on the upper ends of the legs spaced from each other crosswise of the form, and wire embracing hooks on and extending longitudinally outwardly from the ends of the cross member and extending from opposite sides of the form, a straight member lying against and extending along said cross member, said hooks being on the ends of said straight member, and

means securing said straight member to said cross member comprising end portions of the straight member and end portions of the cross member twisted around each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,183,636 Garrabrant May 16, 1916 1,423,211 Gushwa July 18, 1922 1,643,199 Clemencet Sept. 20, 1927 2,597,210 Walters May 20, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 363,369 France May 1, 1906 1,006,098 France Jan. 9, 1952 

1. A WIRE TIGHTENER COMPRISING AN OPEN TRIANGULAR FORM HAVING A CROSS MEMBER AND UPWARDLY CONVERGING LEGS ON THE ENDS OF THE CROSS MEMBER, MEANS CONNECTING THE LEGS, ADJACENT THEIR UPPER ENDS, FINGERS ON THE UPPER ENDS OF THE LEGS SPACED FROM EACH OTHER CROSSWISE OF THE FORM, AND WIRE EMBRACING HOOKS ON AND EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OUTWARDLY FROM THE ENDS OF THE CROSS MEMBER AND EXTENDING FROM OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE FORM, A STRAIGHT MEMBER LYING AGAINST AND EXTENDING ALONG SAID CROSS MEMBER, 